2005 Festival | Past Performers
ReviewsFrom CODA: The Journal of Jazz and Improvised Music, December 1997:
"Three reasons prompted this trip [to the festival]: we know almost nothing about Seattle improvised music; a chance to interview LaDonna Smith; and an opportunity to hear Fred Van Hove play solo piano.
"The event is charming, with the two venues that we attended being the Tractor Tavern, a slightly funky bar in a geat neighborhood called Ballard -- felt like artists might live here -- and a downtown Internet cafe called the Speakeasy, not quite as conducive to the music, but enough.
"Although we knew of the Wally Shoup trio Project W recording, who were even more in person, and had heard bassist Matthew Sperry play in Vancouver, almost without exception this was the fist time we were hearing these improvisors. The music, as always with improvised music, was diverse, creating moments that varied from stilted mimicry much in the style of Spike Jones, often too corny to be considered humorous, to interactive, very personal music totally aware of walking the wire, to an imaginary swing trio in a garden of toys, bicycle horns, click-clack, a giggle here blending with the rattle of plates from the kitchen and a table of people unable to stop talking. And Fred Van Hove...
"Impressionistic romanticism, trills overlapping trills, layer upon layer building up steam, out into the open landscape; sometimes thrashing, but mostly pianistic repetitive figures complemented or interrupted by low end thunk, a high end plink, always in constant motion. Developing one idea for long periods of time into the next series of thoughts, a punctuation. A comma, semicolon, but always in motion... A virtuoso without a moment's hesitation telling a story before untold, unfolding a journey of rhythmic figures dancing out of his trance concentration. At first, the piano sounded not alive, until he coaxed the very soul of it into enlightenment. Prodding, poking, caressing, stroking -- snatch the zithered interior. At one point a large dog ambled onto the stage, inspected Fred, then ambled off; unseen. The talkers are afraid and leave, and at last the whole cafe is silent; entranced. Ghostly spirits released to the final keyboard dance. The story, one hour later, now told. Thunderous applause of appreciation, causing the dog to bark along in agreement."
—Bill Smith
Past Performers | Other Sounds Concert Series | The Tentacle